Generally, a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator has a construction wherein it includes, as schematically shown in FIG. 5, an upper revolving unit 100 with an operator cab (cabin) 600 provided on a lower traveling body 500 having caterpillar members 500A, and further, a joint type arm mechanism composed of a boom 200, a stick 300 and a bucket 400 is provided on the upper revolving unit 100.
And, the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 can be driven suitably by hydraulic cylinders 120, 121 and 122, respectively, to move the move the boom 200 in the direction denoted by a or b, move the stick 300 in the direction denoted by c or d and move the bucket 400 in the direction denoted by e or f.
Further, various equipment and materials used for operation and display are provided in the operator cab 600 of the hydraulic excavator.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of functional blocks of the hydraulic excavator. An operation unit 160 of the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 6 includes an electronic control apparatus 150. A joystick 6 and a pedal 9 are connected to the input side of the electronic control apparatus 150, and a monitor 10, a solenoid controlled proportional valve 3 and an ON/OFF valve 13 are connected to the output side of the electronic control apparatus 150.
Here, the joystick (also referred to as operation lever) 6 is an operation member for operating the hydraulic excavator and is operated by an operating person (hereinafter referred to sometimes as operator), and an electric signal corresponding to the operation amount of the joystick 6 is inputted to the electronic control apparatus 150. And, the electric signal detected by the joystick 6 is used to operate the cylinders 120 to 122 (hereinafter described with reference to FIG. 1) through the electronic control apparatus 150 and the solenoid controlled proportional valve 3.
Meanwhile, the pedal 9 is an accelerator pedal, and also an electric signal corresponding to the operation amount of the pedal 9 is inputted to the electronic control apparatus 150. In addition, the monitor 10 receives an electric signal outputted from the electronic control apparatus 150 and displays thereon information such as an engine speed or an operating oil temperature which the operator wants to know. Furthermore, the ON/OFF valve 13 is a main control valve and controls operation of the cylinders 120 to 122. And, the solenoid controlled proportional valve 3 utilizes a hydraulic pressure to control the spool position of the ON/OFF valve 13.
The electronic control apparatus 150 is connected to the monitor 10, solenoid controlled proportional valve 3, ON/OFF valve 13 and so forth described above, and displays control information to the operator and controls the cylinders 120 to 122 in accordance with a control mode. The electronic control apparatus 150 is composed of a microprocessor, memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), suitable input/output interfaces and so forth.
Thus, when signals from various sensors and the operation panel are inputted to the electronic control apparatus 150, the engine speed, operating oil temperature and so forth are displayed on the monitor 10. Further, the ON/OFF valve 13 is controlled through the solenoid controlled proportional valve 3 so that the boom 200, stick 300 and bucket 400 are controlled so as to exhibit desired expanded/contracted displacements.
Further, usually, in order to assure a high reliability in working, the operator is put under an obligation to normally aurally call confirmation items representative of machine body movement instructions during operation of the hydraulic excavator. The confirmation items (hereinafter referred to aural call items) are, for example, “engine start”, “electric system check” and so forth, and those aural call items are aurally called by the operator upon movement of the machine body.
In addition, in an operating instruction manual or an operation manual, matters that demand attention of the operator are disclosed sufficiently so that the machine body may move appropriately.
With the conventional construction machine, however, since voice is not used to control the movement of the machine body, the operator is obliged to operate the complicated operation panel and so forth and must confirm the monitor screen. Therefore, the conventional construction machine has a subject in that, if working continues for a long time, it becomes bothering to the operator and the burden to the operator increases.
The conventional construction machine further has a subject that, if it is operated inappropriately by the operator, then there is the possibility that the machine body may operate in accordance with the inappropriate operation irrespective of a situation such as the position of the machine body or the working posture or the environment.
Also it is a subject of the conventional construction machine that, since the operation members such as the joystick 6 and the pedal 9 occupy a space of the operator cab 600, they reduce the range of operation of the operator.
The present invention has been made in view of such subjects as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a voice-actuated machine body control apparatus for a construction machine by which the construction machine can be operated appropriately by voice uttered by an operator while the operator does not operate a joystick, a pedal or a like member and does not perform an inputting operation using a switch or a like device.